POMONA - Ontario resident Jonathan Crispin said a ticket for roughly $300 to see his favorite indie rock band the Arctic Monkeys play the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was "too expensive."

So Crispin spent a little more than $35 to see them at the Glass House on Wednesday night after the band was announced to play in mid-March.

"I was ecstatic," Crispin, 19, said as he stood in line with hundreds of fans outside the venue before its doors opened.

Downey fan Mariah Bleak, 20, said she had seen the band twice in Hollywood. Was Pomona too far to travel?

"Not at all," Bleak said as she stood in line waiting for the doors to open. Work conflicted with her attending Coachella, so she was "most definitely" happy to see the Arctic Monkeys on Wednesday.

The sold-out Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, which has more than 150 musical acts over two weekends, has multiple connections locally.

Perry and Paul Tollett co-founded the Glass House, 200 W. Second St., in a former Thrifty drugstore in 1996. The venue holds 800 people.

The Tolletts partnered with Ed and Jerry Tessier to make the Pomona Fox Theater, 301 S. Garey Ave., restoration a success, beginning in April 2009.

Paul Tollett is president of Goldenvoice, the promoter that puts together the popular Indio festival.

"All the credit goes to Goldenvoice (for booking the acts)," said Ed Tessier in a Thursday interview. "We're always flattered in Pomona that Coachella bands like warming up locally or giving their fans something extra special during festival time."

In February 2007, the Tessiers and the Tolletts purchased the Fox from the city for $1.6 million, with part of the cost to be paid for with future revenue generated by the 2,000-seat theater.

Ed Tessier said the Fox Theater's best weeks have been during the run-up to the Coachella Festival.

"Coachella is a phenomena, and the musicians it attracts are coming from all over the world," Ed Tessier said. "So that's nothing but good news for the Fox and the Glass House."

Besides the appearance of the Arctic Monkeys, the Glass House on Thursday attracted Coachella act punk band Refused while experimental act M83 performed at the nearby Fox the same night.

Dennis Callaci, general manager of Rhino Records in Claremont, said foot traffic came to his store from the acts performing in Pomona before the festival.

"It depends on the show," Callaci said, adding a show by Refused on Thursday night would not bring additional foot traffic in because fans would be "lining up to try to get in front of the stage."

Next week, Coachella acts at the Glass House feature The Hives and The Rapture on Monday, A$AP Rockey on Tuesday, Explosions in the Sky on Wednesday and tUnE-yArDs and St. Vincent on Thursday.

The Coachella acts at the Fox Theater next week are Bon Iver on Monday, Porter Robinson and Madeon on Wednesdayand Pulp on Thursday.

The music keeps downtown Pomona viable, Ed Tessier said.

"Few things energize customers the way music does," Ed Tessier said. "In fact, we get visitors from out of state on a regular basis. They definitely keep the downtown populated and fresh.

"It's just as true with the performers. It's so flattering bands come back again and again and again to both venues. They really like it. It's an authentic music and neighborhood experience. So look at our calendars, and there's more (musical acts like) Morrissey or Girl Talk or Aquabats.

"The folks at Goldenvoice do a great job of making musicians feel appreciated and motivated to come back."